Sport England: Public Participation

Richard Caborn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which  (a) individuals and  (b) organisations responded to Sport England's consultation on distribution of Lottery funding; which responded (i) positively and (ii) negatively; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Sport England have advised that they recently published the results of a public consultation into the way it distributes around £45 million a year of National Lottery funding. 536 individuals and organisations took part in the consultation and more than 90 per cent. of them responded positively to the plans.
	Sport England advised that they cannot identify the respondents by name without compromising anonymity. Respondents agreed for personal information to be used as part of the analysis of findings only. However, Sport England can provide information on the mix of respondent types.
	Community and voluntary organisations (including community sports clubs) comprised the largest proportion of respondents (31 per cent.) followed by local authorities (18 per cent.). Private sector organisations constituted 8 per cent. of respondents and NGBs 7 per cent. This constitutes 33 per cent. of all National Governing Bodies who have applied for Whole Sport Plan Funding over the period 2009-13.
	91 per cent. of respondents believed that the Sport England funding proposals were likely to meet the needs of organisations involved in community sport.
	6 per cent. of respondents did not believe that the Sport England funding proposals were likely to meet the needs of organisations involved in community sport.

Police: Finance

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to remove the system of floors and ceilings in the distribution of government grant funding to police forces.

Vernon Coaker: The Government made clear in the Green Paper 'From the Neighbourhood to the National: Policing our communities together' their intention to move to full implementation of the funding formula at the fastest pace that is compatible with ensuring the financial stability of all police authorities.

Forestry Commission

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to page 119 of the Pre Budget Report Cm 7684, what options there are for delivery of public value from the state in the long term in respect of the Forestry Commission; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: A study of the Public Forest Estate in England was announced by written ministerial statement on 24 November 2008,  Official Report, column 37WS.
	This study will take approximately 12 months to complete and will include a full public consultation.
	As outlined in the pre-Budget report this study will also contribute evidence to the Operational Efficiency Programme as findings emerge.

Autism

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of employees in his Department have been diagnosed with autism-specific disorders.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Department does not collect data on the number of its staff with autism specific disorders, and to provide information on this could be only at a disproportionate cost. Staff are encouraged to declare whether they consider themselves disabled, but are not asked to state the nature of the disability.

State Retirement Pensions

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance the Benefits Agency has issued to its staff on the practice of cold-calling pensioners to encourage them to receive their pensions directly into their bank accounts.

Rosie Winterton: Services to pensioners are provided by the Pension, Disability and Carers Service (PDCS)—the Benefits Agency ceased to exist some years ago.
	No such cold-calling is being undertaken by PDCS. They are, however, contacting some pensioners to follow-up recent mailings about the payment options available to them.

Departmental Disclosure of Information

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many civil servants have contacted the Civil Service Commission in the last 12 months to draw attention to alleged impropriety in their department.

Liam Byrne: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office (Mr. Watson) to the hon. Member for Shipley (Philip Davies) on 6 October 2008,  Official Report, column 90W.

Child Care Vouchers

Mary Creagh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many companies had taken up the childcare vouchers scheme at the latest date for which figures are available.

Stephen Timms: No official data are collected from employers regarding the offer of child care voucher schemes to employees. Child care voucher schemes are voluntary schemes and employers are not required to inform HMRC that they offer these arrangements to their employees. Research undertaken in 2006 estimated that approximately 2.5 per cent. of employers offered child care voucher schemes or another form of employer supported child care to their employees. This research can be found at the following link:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/research/report23-final.pdf

National Insurance Centre: Newcastle

Hywel Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the Newcastle National Insurance Centre cost to run in each of the last three years.

Ian Pearson: The National Insurance Contributions Office (NICO) is only one of many occupants of the Benton Park View site, Newcastle. It is therefore not possible to accurately identify estates costs for just NICO.

Armed Forces

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what definition his Department uses of harmony with regard to each of the three services.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 8 December 2008
	 Harmony Guidelines are formulated by the single-Services. Each of the services has a slightly different metric that reflects the ethos and expectations of armed forces personnel. The guidelines are kept under regular review in order to ensure that they reflect the operational requirement of the Department but remain balanced with the requirement of training and recuperation, including leave. Part of recuperation considers retention issues and the assessment of the work/life dynamic is of particular concern. Harmony is split into two related but separate requirements: unit harmony, that primarily relates to force structures and commitments; and individual harmony, that relates to the effect of all separation on individual service personnel.
	The Harmony Guidelines are given in the following table.
	
		
			   Unit Harmony Guideline  Individual Harmony Guideline 
			 Royal Navy Force planners assume that RN and RM units will, over a three year period, spend a maximum of 60 per cent. of their time deployed and 40 per cent. of their time in their base port The Royal Navy sets Separated Service as a maximum of 660 days Separated Service in a rolling three year period 
			
			 Army The Army uses FORM (Formation Operational Readiness Mechanism) to plan for Army units to conduct a six month operational tour followed by an interval of 24 months The Army tries to adhere to 415 days Separated Service in a 30 month rolling period 
			
			 Royal Air Force On the whole, the RAF deploys personnel on individual basis with the RAF Regt being the major exception. The RAF utilises the Operational Deployment Guideline to plan for personnel and units to spend four months on deployed operations followed by 16 months at base The Royal Air Force has a Separated Service planning target of 280 days in a 24-month rolling period

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any of the Jaish-al-Mahdi prisoners released under the prisoner release scheme agreed by the British Army and the Iraqi government had been involved in attacks on British forces.

John Hutton: holding answer 8 December 2008
	 Under UN Security Council Resolution 1546 and subsequent resolutions, UK forces in Iraq are authorised to detain persons whom they judge to represent an imperative threat to security. This could include members of groups which may have been involved in attacks against Iraqi or coalition forces or have been planning such attacks.
	For all individuals detained by UK forces, the decision to release was taken by the Divisional Internment Review Committee on the basis that these individuals no longer represented an imperative threat to security. We do not comment on cases or circumstances relating to individual detainees.

Veterans: Compensation

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the Prime Minister's Answer to the hon. Member for Billericay of 14 November 2007,  Official Report, column 664, what measures the Government has taken to reconsider the atomic test veterans' claim in light of the most recent scientific evidence.

Kevan Jones: We have a responsibility to investigate all new research regarding the possibility of any harmful health effects of the nuclear tests we have carried out in the past. The Government have, therefore, studied the most recent scientific evidence from Massey University New Zealand on genetic damage in a group of Royal New Zealand Navy participants in the British nuclear tests. The study report expressly states that its findings throw no light on health effects. The Government's position remains the same, as previously stated, in relation to the common law claim brought by a group of veterans and deceased veterans' dependants or beneficiaries, of the UK's nuclear weapon testing programme. A preliminary trial on limitation is due to commence at the High Court on 19 January 2009.
	The wider published peer-reviewed epidemiological evidence to date has not demonstrated a general link between ill-health and participation in the tests. In the event, the vast majority of participants in the UK nuclear weapons trials did not receive any recorded dose of ionising radiation. Some participants received doses that were not significantly above zero. A very few individuals, because of their specialist roles, received higher dose levels, but within the safety limits appropriate at the time. Where the health of these participants has been affected by their service, we pay compensation under our no-fault compensation arrangements.
	I am determined to ensure that all avenues of research are looked at. I am therefore pleased to report that I had a constructive meeting with the British Nuclear Test Veterans Association (BNTVA) in late October to discuss the possibility of a new MOD study into health issues, particularly in relation to offspring. My officials are now in discussion with the BNTVA and scientific advisers on the scientific and ethical issues relevant to a further study. I am hopeful that I will be able to make an announcement early in the new year.

Central Fire Service Advisory Committee

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on what dates the Central Fire Service Advisory Committee has met since it was established; what the main outcomes were of such meetings; and if she will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: The Central Fire Brigades Advisory Council was set up under section 29 of the Fire Services Act 1947. The council was abolished under section 51 of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004. The information requested could be collated only at disproportionate cost.

Coastal Town Network

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 25 November 2008,  Official Report, columns 1276-77W, on regeneration: coastal areas, which central Government Departments were involved in the Coastal Town Network (CTN); how many times the CTN met; at what level each department was represented; and which local authorities were represented.

John Healey: Officials from six Departments (BERR, CLG, DCMS, DEFRA, DIUS and DWP) have been involved in the work of the Coastal Towns Network (CTN) so far. The CTN has met twice to date: in July and October 2008, with the next meeting planned for January 2009. Central Government Departments are represented at deputy director (Grade 5) and senior management (Grades 6 or 7) levels.
	The city of Brighton and Hove and Kent county council attended the first meeting of the Network in Brighton. East Lindsey district council, Boston district council and Lincolnshire county council attended the Network's second meeting in Skegness.
	Local authorities are also represented at the meetings through bodies like the British Resorts and Destinations Association, the Coastal Communities Alliance and the BURA Seaside Network.

Fire Services: Floods

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent representations she has received from fire-fighters on their status as statutory consultees on flooding emergencies.

Sadiq Khan: Following the extensive floods during the summer of 2007 Sir Ken Knight, Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser conducted a review into the response of the fire and rescue service to the floods, and Sir Michael Pitt conducted a wide-ranging, independent review into floods. During the course of these two reviews and ensuing work, many representations were received from the fire and rescue service, including the Chief Fire Officers Association and the Fire Brigades Union. The two reviews were published earlier this year. The Government's response to Sir Michael's report is expected to be published shortly.

Homelessness: Essex

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homeless  (a) children and  (b) adults are in temporary accommodation in each local authority area in Essex.

Iain Wright: Information about English local authorities' actions under the homelessness legislation (Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996) is collected quarterly at local authority level, about households rather than individuals.
	Data collected include the number of households accepted by local housing authorities as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and therefore owed a main homelessness duty (to secure that suitable accommodation is available). If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority must secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomes available.
	Information on the numbers of households housed in temporary accommodation is reported quarterly by local authorities as at the last day of each quarter. The figures include: those households which have been accepted as owed the main homelessness duty; those for which enquiries are pending; those being accommodated for a limited period because they have been found intentionally homeless and in priority need; those being accommodated pending possible referral to another authority, and those being accommodated pending the outcome of a local authority review or county court appeal.
	The number of dependent children (or expected children) in these households is also collected, but data on the number of adults is not. The latest (end June 2008) figures for total households and total children reported by the Essex authorities are shown in Table 1.
	
		
			  Table 1: Households in temporary accommodation, and number of children within these households (as at 30 June 2008) 
			  Local authority  Total households in TA arranged by authority  Total children (and expected children) within these households 
			 Basildon 315 382 
			 Braintree 67 75 
			 Brentwood 92 139 
			 Castle Point 118 176 
			 Chelmsford 83 57 
			 Colchester 191 265 
			 Epping Forest 79 98 
			 Harlow 233 229 
			 Maldon 38 49 
			 Rochford 34 51 
			 Southend-on-Sea 49 103 
			 Tendring 172 206 
			 Thurrock 66 74 
			 Uttlesford 27 27 
		
	
	Authorities also report the number of households in temporary accommodation arranged by each authority, who have been housed outside the borough. Latest figures reported by the Essex authorities are shown in Table 2. Data specifically on the number of children and adults housed outside the borough are not held centrally.
	
		
			  Table 2: Households in temporary accommodation, and of which those housed outside the borough (as at 30 June 2008) 
			  Local authority  Total households in TA arranged by authority  of which the number housed outside borough 
			 Basildon 315 0 
			 Braintree 67 0 
			 Brentwood 92 0 
			 Castle Point 118 10 
			 Chelmsford 83 0 
			 Colchester 191 6 
			 Epping Forest 79 7 
			 Harlow 233 0 
			 Maldon 38 4 
			 Rochford 34 15 
			 Southend-on-Sea 49 0 
			 Tendring 172 0 
			 Thurrock 66 3 
			 Uttlesford 27 0

Housing: Low Incomes

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps have been taken to ensure that access to the My Choice Home Buy scheme is equitable across regions and counties.

Iain Wright: The MyChoiceHomeBuy scheme is delivered by equity loan providers, who were selected following a competitive bidding process to ensure national coverage and a choice for customers. The scheme is demand led. Initial allocations to providers followed the indicative regional split of the overall National Affordable Housing Programme, which is based on a formula that reflects key policy outcomes. Initial allocations are then reviewed periodically and adjusted according to levels of actual demand.

Continuing Care: Standards

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what data his Department routinely collects in respect of continuing care.

Phil Hope: The Department routinely collects, quarterly by primary care trust, a return showing the number of people in receipt of continuing care on that day.

Ophthalmic Services: Expenditure

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost of NHS ophthalmic services was in each region in the last 12 months.

Ann Keen: Expenditure data relating to 'Problems of Vision', covering both primary and secondary care services, are collected as part of the annual programme budgeting returns to the Department by primary care trusts. Programme budgeting data for 2007-08 is due to be collected from primary care trusts during December 2008 and therefore are not currently available.